- The state’s largest and the nation’s sixth largest soft drink bottler qualified for a certification of “zero waste to landfill” according to GreenCircle, an independent sustainability certification company
- Coke Florida has an exclusive sales and distribution territory that covers over 21 million consumers across 47 Florida counties, and includes the major metropolitan markets of Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa
- Founded in 2015, the family-owned Coca-Cola bottler employs over 4,600 associates
Coke Florida, the third-largest privately held and sixth-largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States, announced this week that its Broward Manufacturing Facility has obtained GreenCircle’s Zero Waste to Landfill certification, joining its Tampa and Orlando facilities in reducing its carbon footprint. The Tampa manufacturing facility was the first location certified in 2019 followed by the Orlando manufacturing facility in 2021.
That means seventy-five percent of Coca-Cola Beverages Florida‘s manufacturing facilities in the state hold a GreenCircle certification, according to the company. In a news release, Coke Florida boasted its commitment to a sustainable future by reinforcing the efforts to reduce, reuse, recover, and renew by making its packaging more sustainable, working to minimize water use, and reducing pre-consumer waste.
“Coke Florida’s commitment to reducing waste is not new,” shared Erin Black, Vice President, Sustainability, Risk Management and Facilities for Coke Florida. “In fact, the large majority of the waste produced at Broward was already being recycled. GreenCircle’s comprehensive evaluation process provides transparency that validates our commitment to a World Without Waste.”
GreenCircle Certified, LLC was established to ensure specificity in third-party certification after encountering many unsubstantiated claims in the marketplace. GreenCircle’s rigorous evaluation process provides independent verification that claims of sustainable aspects of products and operations are valid.
“We have been certifying Coke Florida since 2019 and we commend their ongoing commitment to transparency and continuous improvement,” stated Michelle Bonanno, Director of Operations at GreenCircle. “Coke Florida’s Broward Manufacturing facility is one of three Coke Florida facilities that have achieved this milestone, in just three years, making them a leader in their industry.”
This is a great milestone in the production on COKE products and definitely is applauded. But what about the damage these products have done and are doing to the consumer’s health? Bio-sustainability means producing products safe for the environment but also “Safe and Healthy for Human Consumption.” I grew up with COKE as part of my life, then after several years of Biochemistry in college and beyond I realized I cannot understand all the chemicals contained in the “tasty,” soft-drink. Let’s make all products truly bio-sustainable.
I’m cynical. How exactly does a bottler produce “zero waste to landfill”? Shouldn’t that be explained in the article?
Thank you, God, these satirical essay topics made my day! I only took a few minutes to get started and finish my paper. I received a very high grade, and am happy with my decision.